War Horse

Rated PG-13146 min.2011

Steven Spielberg continues his reverence for John Ford, with a particularly obvious visual homage to The Quiet Man that bookends this film. And, ever the rank sentimentalist, he fashions his takes on Black Beauty and The Black Stallion with a story about, yes, a boy and his horse. War Horse is held together by a glue of Spielberg schmaltz that's easy to stick with until it fosters a series of false endings and tidy contrivances. However, even the sappy slow spots are varnished with exquisite art direction and Janusz Kaminski's brilliant cinematography.
ByNeil Morris